Chronicles DECEMBER 2019 COUNCIL
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The Importance of Perspective
BEHIND EVERY ACTION AND REACTION IS THE
A s we prepare to head into a brand-new decade, I can’t help but reflect on how much things have changed over the last 10 years. I can’t deny that change is an exciting prospect for both my business and my family. While my work has taught me countless valuable lessons over the years, I recently had a poignant realization from interactions with my kids. Just the other day, it hit me like a ton of bricks that my daughter isn’t a baby anymore. Long gone are the days when she’d drown in her mother’s clothes and clack around in heels 10 sizes too big. When she was younger, a game of dress-up meant the clothes always made their way back into my closet at the end of the day. But now, when something of mine has been missing for several days, I know it’s not because she’s still playing dress-up. She’s wearing my clothes and experimenting with my makeup in order to feel like an adult. While I can’t wait to see the beautiful young woman she’ll grow into, part of me can’t help but think she’s trying to grow up too fast. PERSPECTIVE OF THOSE INVOLVED, AND THAT’S JUST AS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER AS THE COLD HARD FACTS.”
AND HOW WE’LL VALUE IT IN THE YEARS TO COME
from school upset one day recently because one of his classmates told him his lunch “looked gross.” While this may sound trivial to most of us, for him, it was the most upsetting thing to happen to him all day, and it made me realize how different his perspective of the world is. In my world, I couldn’t care less if someone told me the food I ate looked gross. But in his world, it was a mortifying experience that he might never forget about. This, combined with my daughter’s desire to step into a new role in her own world, has given me a lot to think about as another year comes to a close. Life is all about perspective. This is something incredibly important for me and the entire team at Council & Associates to remind ourselves of every day. Personal injury and accident cases are an especially delicate facet in the practice of law because advocating for someone boils down to understanding their experience and seeing it from their perspective. For example, a minor neck injury as a result of a fender bender may seem trivial, but without understanding the client’s perspective, you can never really know the gravity of the situation. You may not realize that the victim of this accident is, in fact, a surgeon who must be able to crane their
neck at a specific angle so they can perform life-saving operations. In this case, that minor neck injury means everything — not only to the doctor who can’t perform their job but also to the patients who are waiting on that same doctor to provide surgery they need to lead healthier lives. Behind every action and reaction is the perspective of those involved, and that’s just as important to consider as the cold hard facts. Here at Council & Associates, we do our absolute best to see the perspectives of all our clients so that we understand what it is we’re fighting for. We don’t have a cookie- cutter approach to our cases, because no two cases are ever alike. We value that mindset above all, and I’m so thankful to everyone in my life, from my coworkers to my clients to my family, for helping me understand just how important having perspective is. It gives me the passion and understanding I need to lead our firm into another great year and another promising decade.
–Lashonda Council- Rogers, Esq.
My son also gave me a profound perspective to step into the new year with. He came home
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ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF BY CHOOSING THE RIGHT ATTORNEY When you suffer an accident or a personal injury, it can be hard to think about making any decisions beyond getting proper care so you can heal. But if you’re seeking compensation from whoever caused your injuries and suffering, it’s crucial to think about what to look for in your representation. EXPERIENCE Choosing representation that has experience specifically with cases like yours is always a sound choice. A promising track record means they have experience with knowing the value of your settlement, selecting a sympathetic jury, making effective arguments, and persuading judges to rule in your favor. It’s also important to hire representation with specialized expertise. Selecting a firm that’s trying to practice everything means you might get a lawyer who’s average in many areas instead of one who’s stellar with cases exactly like yours. At Council & Associates, we ONLY represent injury victims.
Of the many seasonal traditions that sweep our nation, few are as creative, delicious, and satisfying as building your very own gingerbread house. Whether you’re looking to create a simple table decoration or bake a tasty treat to nibble on, everyone can enjoy this holiday activity! THE ORIGINS OF GINGERBREAD Ginger was first cultivated in ancient China, then traded into medieval Europe. There, Europeans incorporated it into culinary traditions and used it to bake cookies into elaborate shapes and works of art, including figures of animals and people. The gingerbread house first appeared in the early 19th century in Germany. Although historians don’t know an exact date, it’s speculated that it gained popularity around the same time that “Hansel and Gretel,” the popular fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm, was published. THE LARGEST GINGERBREAD HOUSE In 2013, the world record for the largest gingerbread house in the world was broken. The house, topping out at 21 feet and covering 2,520 square feet, was built by Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas, to raise money for a local Level II trauma center. To construct the house, builders created a recipe that required 1,800 pounds of butter, 2,925 pounds of brown sugar, 7,200 eggs, 7,200 pounds of flour, 1,080 ounces of ground ginger, and a few additional ingredients. BUILD YOUR OWN! While you don’t have to challenge yourself to beat the Guinness World Record, you can still have fun creating your very own gingerbread village. Starting your gingerbread house from scratch can be a fun activity for the whole family to enjoy. Give the kids a chance to mix the ingredients, roll out the dough, and set out plenty of candies and frostings to use, and remember to have fun! If you’re looking for unique gingerbread house ideas, take a look at 20 gingerbread house ideas at TasteofHome.com/collection/ gingerbread-houses. EVERYTH I NG YOU D I DN ’T KNOW ABOUT TH I S HOL I DAY TRAD I T ION THE JOY OF A GINGERBREAD HOUSE
INTEGRITY Many lawyers out there fit the age-old stereotype of being shady and dishonest. Although these types
might seem like necessarily tough go-getters, plenty of lawyers are diligent workers without sacrificing their humanity or yours. Choose someone who’s an aggressive advocate
without being deceitful. Reputation is everything, so we at Council & Associates pride ourselves on our 100-plus positive online client reviews. RAPPORT You will be spending a lot of time with the lawyer you hire. There are hours of preparation and time in court involved if your case goes to trial. If you don’t have a workable
relationship, it could have a devastating effect on your case and your emotional well-being. Choose someone who not only shows compassion about what you’re going through but who also sees your perspective. Your lawyer should understand your needs, respect you, and communicate with you openly. You should also feel
comfortable sharing with them.
Council & Associates prides itself on operating with experience, integrity, and rapport in every case we take on. If you’re looking for a stellar team, give us a call at 404.465.1252 so we can review your case immediately!
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There’s no greater compliment we can receive than a referral from our clients. If you know somebody in need of a lawyer, please give them this newsletter and tell them to give us a call at 404.465.1252. Thank you so much for spreading the word about Council & Associates. WE’RE HERE TO HELP
Light Up the Night
WHY DO WE HANG CHRISTMAS LIGHTS?
The first string of twinkling lights illuminating your neighbor’s house is always a telltale sign of the upcoming seasonal festivities. Christmas lights are a holiday staple, but have you ever wondered where this beloved tradition started? The tradition of hanging lights on the tree originally started with candles. Because this posed an immense fire hazard, Edward Hibberd Johnson, a close friend of Thomas Edison and vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, vowed to find a better way to decorate Christmas trees with light. In December 1882, three years after Edison’s invention of the lightbulb in November 1879, Johnson hand- wired 80 red, white, and blue lightbulbs together and wound them around a Christmas tree in his parlor window. A passing reporter saw the spectacle and declared in the Detroit Post and Tribune, “One can hardly imagine anything prettier.”
Johnson continued this tradition, increasing the number of lights each year and eventually putting them up outside. But because electricity was still a new concept, many years passed before the fad took off for regular Americans. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge began the tradition of lighting the National Christmas Tree, which spurred the idea of selling stringed lights commercially. By the 1930s, families everywhere were buying boxes of bulbs by the dozen. Today, an estimated 150 million Christmas lights are sold in America each year, decorating 80 million homes and consuming 6% of the nation’s electricity every December. Whether you’ll be putting up your own lights or appreciating the most impressive light displays in your neighborhood or town, let the glow fill you with joy this season. Just don’t leave them up until February!
TONYA HICKS AND POWER SOLUTIONS Power Solutions Inc. is a progressive electrical contracting firm that has served an array of industrial, commercial, and government industries since 2000. They’re one of Atlanta’s go-to electrical companies because of their superior work, competitive prices, and unrivaled focus on customer satisfaction and appreciation. Beyond electric services, they provide facility management and maintenance, construction management, building commissioning, and more. Perhaps even more impressive than the outstanding services they provide is the history of the president and CEO of the company. According to her biography on the company’s website, Tonya Hicks is the first woman journeyman wireman in Local Union 917 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), as well as being among the first few African American women to be a part of the IBEW in the state of Mississippi. She’s a trailblazer in the construction industry, one of the mere 3% of female electricians in the U.S. and one of the 5.2% of women-owned construction companies in the country. Her inspiring ambitions and successful business tactics have served as a beacon for women in our community. In 2009, she founded the organization Women Do Everything, a program that educates women in the electrical and construction fields, and inspires them with the confidence and know-how to take care of their homes and any DIY projects with their own two hands. She’s a game-changing leader who continues to shatter stereotypes and empower women. Local Business Spotlight
Whether you’re looking for electrical and construction services or are a woman trying to figure out how to break into the field, Power Solutions, Women Do Everything, and Tonya Hicks are here to help you get started.
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Inside
A REFLECTION ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSPECTIVE 1 BUILDING YOUR OWN GINGERBREAD HOUSE
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ATTORNEY 2 WE’RE HERE TO HELP
THE HISTORY BEHIND CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
SPOTLIGHT ON TONYA HICKS AND POWER SOLUTIONS 3 BALLETHNIC’S URBAN NUTCRACKER 4
‘URBAN NUTCRACKER’ Ballethnic Dance Company Presents
An Atlanta holiday tradition, Ballethnic’s
“Urban Nutcracker” returns this season to Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse, the venue where it first premiered in 1991. This captivatingly fresh take on the classic ballet remixes the play with a fusion of modern dance, jazz, and tap styles. It’s an entirely new way to experience the story without missing out on any of the magic of the original telling. It begins on Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn Avenue in the 1940s, where The Chocolatier whisks Brown Sugar off to the wondrous Land of Sweets, a place filled with an array of soulful characters like Reggae Rag Dolls, spinning Black Russians, and Mother Spice.
the season. Both young and old actors and
dancers fill the stage in their festively bright costumes, sweeping the audience into a sense of attending the Christmas party unfolding onstage before them. There’s a character for everyone to connect with as Ballethnic Dance Company makes a point of casting culturally diverse adults and children who are both classically trained and still in training. No matter their age or experience, every single dancer’s conviction is palpable, and it makes for dazzling entertainment.
narrates the story, describing the Land of Sweets
as a place of “no angry words,” where everyone is brought together “despite their differences.” These heartwarming and valuable principles truly speak to the spirit of the holiday season. “Urban Nutcracker” has multiple showings from Dec. 14–15. Be sure to get your tickets early so you don’t miss out on this magical holiday experience.
From the moment the curtain rises, the audience is swept into the glowing spirit of
The message embedded in the story of “Urban Nutcracker” is simple but powerful. Big Mama
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